The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-09
DEATH IN TIE DYNAMO.
THE HANGMAN AND HIS GALLOWS
RELICS OF BARBARISki.

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modern science for carrying tho death SEN
tenco into circc5 in capital cascs, is all cnthu-
siastic invest igatoI, aYd since tho commits
sion was created By the last legislature he
. hnS spent considerable time in making re-
searches.
'Do you believe in capital punishment,
doctor?'' YVES asked.
Il believe the death penalty is necessary, :"
lie replied, "for there is class Of people, a
lower order OF beings, to whom it is positive
ly necessary. I refer to people who como
from limo OF mui1lcrers-that is, men who
have descended directly from families Of
criminal proclivities The nlan who walks
around ready TO commit willful, prcrnedi-
tated murder should die. He belongs to a
race that We want to wipe from the face Of
tho earth. The laws arc liberal enough, with
tic various degrees of homicide and mar
slaughter, to protect individuals who Go it in
the heat OF passion or under intense provo
cation"
"And about woHcn9n
eff the law is changed from hanging to
death by electricity then it should and
would bo made to include women as we'll as
men. Any discrimination bctween tho sexes
would make tho law unconstitutional"
"Would there bo any objection to oxecut-
ing women with electricity"
s:No, sir; there would not. think there
world no longer be the same prejudice that
there is now, because hanging is 4 poor way
OF ilhictins the death penalty"
elbow would you use eloctricity?"
"Just see here" said DR.. Southwick,
Jumping up and seating himself in an arm
chair. "Thc condemned man can sit natrlr-
ally in chair Ike this, place his hands on
the metal arms and converse with those
around him. The metal plates would bo
connected with powerful dynamo and ut
the proper moment somebody in another
room would press button, close the current
and the fatal shock would pass through the
body of tho subject. Tho charge would so
straight through tho heart and lungs ard
penetrate the system, death instantly result
ing. The expense OF the apparatus with which
to execute by electricity in this city would
be about $3.50. Connection could be made
with the electric light station, and the CO.
peuso OF an execution thereafter would be OF
little consequence. It would not cost any
moro than cigar to lc;ll a condemned man
after that. II would not be necessary to
maintain extensive and powerful machinery
in all Tho prisons and it would bo vastly
cheaper team hanging"
"You believe then III clccfricity?"
electricity is the coming power. Death
Is Instantaneous and tho body IS not defaced
There is not thu 1norb;tlness of n hanging,
which is y relic Of barbacism. just see a
recent execution here-Iic:na1's think it
was--w.,ca the hanged man brcathed- fifteen
11i:li1cs after tic drop fcl. II that is i'll
s..:....anco:.s death thol would rather hGvo
Ea-c:ilg death"
'1Ilvc you considered poisons as means
Of c::ecutiny c-iini!.a!s?'
'tnius:ic acid has been suggested, but
neither thai no! Scrrotins has met with any
favo:. a few hive advocated the grilloti:lc,
BIT think il is u Larbarous mode Of causing
dea::A. Hardly any one iavors hanging in
preference to electricity, tho very system
being bcr53rous, cs Gre tho method and
paraphcr2alil used"
''Do you expect that your plan will bo
cdoptcl:'
~ sincerely hope it will IF it is adopted
by tho coming legislature other states will
undoubtedly adopt it, and I think that
within two years it will be- adopted ell over
tho world. Il would certainly be BITTER
than oblitcratins TIC death penalty, and in
tho case OF woman there would bo much
less objection to its operation than there is
to hanging"
Dr.. Gouthwick added that in England the
sarlc qucstion had arisen, but no satisfactory
substitute for hanging had been suggested
Ono of tho commissioners suggested that
various ,acaIs be adopted and the condemned
cuiprit be given his choice Of deaths.
State Senator Daniel Fl. Mcmillan has
written lc33Ser to the commission in which he
say3: "Tha principal objection to the present
method Is that it is primitive il its origin
and barbarous il its effects. 1t lacks every
clement Of cxact1css and precision. 1t is
absolutely impossible to arrange formula
as to the size of the rope, tho length OF the
drop or the hcft Of tho weight and the dis
tanco of it's fall, as these several elements
must not only depend upon the size and
weight but thu general build and make up CT
the convict. Tho want of cIactncss in these
several elements sometimes leads to the mutt
lation Of the body by severing the head: to
unnecessary and severe suffering by reason
of the breaking CT tie rope, and also to death
by suTocatica whore there has been an i'm
proper adjustment. All these things CON-
bins to mako hanging by tho heck most
brutal.
~ an heartily in favor Of the application
of electricity TO: the purposes in question,
for tho reason that it is simple, silro and
painless. think that if the places of cHccu-
ton wcro limiteI to two in this state, say
one at Auburn and one at Sing Sing, tho
two state prisons. and that ell convicts as
soon as condemned to suffer tho death
penalty should be confined in one OF those
two prison5 depending somewhat upon the
locality Of the triaD, it would be vast lin
provcrlent upon the present method OF hay
inc tho criminal confined in tho county jail
till the day Of execution"
Regarding tho machinery to be used
Senator Mcmillan says: "These executions
cou!d take place in the Jail proper, in room
set apart for that purpose, with no appll-
anccs savo that Of a chair, with the hand
rest Of each arm properly connected with
IN electric machine, il which the condemned
might be seated and the connection made by
strapping hand to tho hand rest on each
chair. There can be 10 difficulty whatever
in procuring a current OF electricity OF susii-
cicnt strength to paralyz, tho muscles Of
the heart by this method. Indeed, the cur
rent that is usctl in this city for electric
lighting purposes is of sufficient strength to
absolutely dsmcn5cr the body of any human
bein:,, but n current of electricity OF sE!!l-
cicnt strength to cause instantaneous death
By passing from lanl To hand through the
heart will not mark the body in tic least. "